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Friday, October 5, 2012

He's Been Faithful!

Welcome Debbie Holman to
Friday Friends! I met Debbie through a blogger friend of mine. I thought her
testimony would be encouraging for those of you who are going through challenging
situations right now.

Birthdays are suppose to be
special, a day to celebrate. However, November 18, 1997 was not a birthday to
be celebrated.Not your usual, typical
birthday. It was my birthday and the day my husband chose to announce to me he
was leaving me for a sweetheart he had when he was in high school. No amount of
begging or pleading would change his mind.

How would I explain this to
my friends and church family! I was embarrassed, ashamed, and alone. How could
I face them knowing what an active role my husband had taken in the church. Well,
with much prayer and support from my mother, I went back to church. Offering to
resign from leadership roles I held. No one wanted me to resign and I found my
church family to be supportive.

Five weeks later on January
9, 1998, another devastating event happened in my life. My father died from
complication from Alzheimer’s. What would I do now? The presence of my father
was such a comfort to me. I was a daddy’s girl and I loved him very much!

What more could happen and
how much did God expect me to endure? Losing my husband and father just five
weeks apart was too much for one person to deal with. I would ask myself over
and over:

Where was God in all of this?
Had He left me to deal with all of this alone?

One morning on my way to
work, I put a CD in by one of my favorite singers, Babbie Mason. She was
singing a song titled God Has Another
Plan. I had never really listened to the words until that morning, when I
listen to every word. In her song, she quotes Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts I think towards
you, says the lord,

thoughts of peace and not of evil. To give
you a future and a hope.

I played that song over and
over on my way to work. Suddenly, it was as if a voice from within said to me:

“Debbie,trust me and have faith. I have a plan. For you are going through a storm now but

what a beautiful rainbow will follow
the storm. I will carry you through this storm each and every day. I will give
you hope and a future.”

If it had not been for this
verse and my faith that God would provide that rainbow in the end of the storm,
I could not have survived! He proved Himself faithful! Through all of these
trials, I have become a stronger person and my faith has grown tremendously.

Now…When I hear of anyone I know going through storms in their life, I tell them:

Look for the beautiful rainbow God has
waiting for you

after the storm.

Are you in
the mist of a challenging situation? We all have trials and tribulations that
come on suddenly and threaten to crush us. However, God promises us He will meet
us there at the point of our need and carry us through until we can proclaim victory.
Be encouraged. You are an Overcomer!

Mary Jane, thank you for sharing Debbie's story with us. She is a precious daughter of the King, who continues to smile, no matter how severe the storm.Debbie, I'm so proud of you. The Lord is honoring you for being transparent with your pain in order to help others. You are such a blessing. Love you!

Nan it was my privilege and pleasure to share Debbie's story. I hope that it will inspire her to write more. I know she has sage advice to give to other ladies who have been through this or who may be going through it now.

About Me

Mary Jane Downs is an author, speaker and teacher who lives in the foothills of the Asheville Mountains. She loves long walks with her camera in hand, reading, hand quilting, and cooking for friends. Mary Jane has been published in Awe Magazine, Inspiredmoms.com, as well as a guest blogger. Mary Jane has found her writing and love of quilting to work well together. Quilting gives her time to think and gain insight for story ideas and writing helps her to express those ideas and thoughts to others.